News On The Fly

Written by: Nathan Cook, Fishing Manager of Orvis San Jose

The options within a two-hour drive from San Jose will surprise you.
Photo by Mark Schaller

Over the course of this spring and summer, I’ve had the great pleasure to meet hundreds of fly anglers from San Jose and the Bay Area, ranging in skills from seasoned veterans to “never picked up a fly rod in my life.” The San Francisco Bay Area is. . .

The post Photos: The Varied Fly-Fishing Opportunities of the Bay Area appeared first on Orvis News.

The Clouser Minnow is incredibly effective in both salt- and fresh water.

Although the Clouser Minnow (originally called the Clouser Deep Minnow) is famous for being one of the more prolific saltwater flies of all time, it was first tied by Pennsylvanian Bob Clouser to catch smallmouth bass on the. . .

The post Video: How to Tie the Clouser Minnow appeared first on Orvis News.

Photo via Staunton News Leader

It's apparently Hero Dog Day on the blog because here's our second amazing amazing story of the day. Steve Kirchbaum and his dog, Henry, were hiking in West Virginia last week when they had the misfortune to run into a mama bear with. . .

The post Video: Hero Dog Drives Off Bear Attacking His Owner appeared first on Orvis News.

The post Podcast: Bristol Bay and Heavy Metal Fly Fishing appeared first on Orvis News.

There are lots of wonderful stories about heroic dogs, but few feature a dog doing something that seems actually impossible. The story of Sadie and Michael reminds one of the stories of super-human strength—such as lifting a car off a. . .

The post The Amazing Story of How Sadie the English Setter Saved Her Owner’s Life appeared first on Orvis News.

Here in Vermont, the nights are getting crisp, and a little color is starting to creep into the leaves on the mountainsides. Fall is coming, as one of the Starks might say. Here's a contemplative little video from White Glas Productions that shows some of the glories of the season for. . .

The post Video: The Perfect Fall appeared first on Orvis News.

This week we take a break from our typical how-to podcasts (don’t worry The Fly Box is in there this week, with tips on tippet material, keeping hands warm, and a what to pay most attention to in a fly-fishing class) and look at the passions of two very interesting people.  One is Scott Hed, from the Alaska Sportsman’s Alliance, with some really good news on the Bristol Bay issue and what you can do to finally put this to rest.  The other is an interview with the guitarist from a heavy metal rock band, what he gets out of fly fishing, and how he compares it to composing music.

Don’t worry, I have several upcoming podcasts in the hopper, with hard-core tips and tricks in them.

Here's a remarkably touching story about a service dog named for a brave little boy who loved a dog named Casper while he was in the hospital. We posted about Creed Campbell and Casper the dog last year, and now. . .

The post Video: Service Dog Named for Little Boy Graduates to Help Others appeared first on Orvis News.

Written by: Mike Schultz, Schultz Outfitters

Tom McGraw tried frogging for Michigan smallies with a Helios 2 one-piece 8-weight (a.k.a. "The Frog Cannon").
Photo by Mike Schultz

Yesterday was Tom's first day of smallie fishing. I've got a feeling he will be back.

The post Photo of the Day: Shooting the “Frog Cannon” appeared first on Orvis News.

Wow. This is simply an amazing story of how a disabled dog, who would surely be euthanized in the vast majority of cases, is instead given intensive therapy that changes everything. Mick, a sweet little Boston terrier, was born with swimmer puppy disease, in which all. . .

The post Classic Video: The Amazing Comeback of Mick, the Puppy Who Couldn’t Walk appeared first on Orvis News.

Here we go again… Early this month Facebook posted an update to their developer blog that effectively ended the practice of like-gating.

The revised policy says “You must not incentivize people to use social plugins or to like a Page.” This includes offering rewards, or gating apps or app content based on whether or not a person has liked a Page.

That’s about as clear as my favorite fishing hole after a heavy rain. Let’s break it down.

Angling Trade is proud to support the America Fly Fishing Trade Association’s upcoming Aspen Dealer Summit, which will be held October 20-23 at the Aspen Square Hotel in Aspen, Colorado.

This is shaping up to be a real “meat and potatoes” business improvement event, starting with a “Firestarter” keynote from brand strategist, social media maven and author Erika Napoletano.  The summit will also cover other important issues that impact fly tackle retailers in the current market like: Identifying and measuring key predictive indicators, inventory turns and managing inventory, profit margins, labor costs, motivating staff, and much more.

Most importantly, it’s an opportunity to

Another winning product from IFTD we wanted to call out is the Fish Skull Fly Tester, from Flymen Fishing Co. Now, as the name implies, you can fasten flies to lines, and float them on the surface, “drift” them under the surface, and even “swim” certain flies like streamers. In other words you can see how they look and behave in the water… what the action is, and so forth.

That’s all fine, but let’s call it like it is and say what the fly tester really is. It’s a

Today is the 10th Annual National Dog Day, a holiday that "serves to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year, and acknowledges family dogs and dogs that work selflessly each. . .

The post Happy National Dog Day! appeared first on Orvis News.

Written by: Reid Bryant

Orvis's Simon Perkins explains gun safety to a young student.

As Wingshooting Services Manger here at Orvis, I am fortunate to spend the bulk of my time surrounded by folks whose passion for upland and waterfowl hunting rivals my own. To work alongside people who recognize the smell of. . .

The post Photos: Orvis Hunter Safety Course Brings the Passion to the Office and Families appeared first on Orvis News.